When In Europe...
From Manifesta to Documenta, the best of European art festivals.
By Gary Pini
Photographed by Kristof Vrancken
If you've got your Eurail pass taken care of, and need to fill in some days between music festivals like Sonar and Pukkelpop, consider a stop in Genk, Belgium.
The little-known Flemish town is this year's site of the wandering arts biennial known as Manifesta. The festival's ninth edition features new works by 35 international artists that will be on view until September 30 in a huge, landmarked 1924 art deco building that once housed a coal mine. "It's the perfect location to talk about the legacy of coal mining and the question of industrial production," explains Katerina Gregos, a Manifesta curator. Artists from different generations explore that theme with works from the 1800s to the 1960s, along with several new commissions including Haifeng Ni's "Para-Production," composed of tons of textile shreds from Chinese garment factories.
That's just one of several every-so-often esoteric celebrations of the arts taking place in Europe this summer. From Floriade -- the highly infrequent celebration of horticulture in the Netherlands that only happens every ten years -- to the spectacular 376-foot-tall viewing platform and public art installation, ArcelorMittal Orbit, designed by Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond for London's Olympic Park, it's a great year for global arts nomads.
Kassel, Germany, is the site of Documenta 13. Not a traditional art fair like Art Basel or Frieze, Documenta was established in 1955 and takes place every five years. Instead of dealers and galleries selling art, this is a gigantic, curated pop-up museum with works by more than 150 artists from 55 countries in various venues including the town's beautiful parks and a staircase in an old bank. The 2007 edition attracted more than 750,000 visitors.
And finally, since the world has gone artisanal and micro-niche crazy, we suggest a stop at the International Juggler and Arts Festival in Koblenz, Germany, in July. How do you get to Koblenz? Practice, baby, practice.
The little-known Flemish town is this year's site of the wandering arts biennial known as Manifesta. The festival's ninth edition features new works by 35 international artists that will be on view until September 30 in a huge, landmarked 1924 art deco building that once housed a coal mine. "It's the perfect location to talk about the legacy of coal mining and the question of industrial production," explains Katerina Gregos, a Manifesta curator. Artists from different generations explore that theme with works from the 1800s to the 1960s, along with several new commissions including Haifeng Ni's "Para-Production," composed of tons of textile shreds from Chinese garment factories.
That's just one of several every-so-often esoteric celebrations of the arts taking place in Europe this summer. From Floriade -- the highly infrequent celebration of horticulture in the Netherlands that only happens every ten years -- to the spectacular 376-foot-tall viewing platform and public art installation, ArcelorMittal Orbit, designed by Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond for London's Olympic Park, it's a great year for global arts nomads.
Kassel, Germany, is the site of Documenta 13. Not a traditional art fair like Art Basel or Frieze, Documenta was established in 1955 and takes place every five years. Instead of dealers and galleries selling art, this is a gigantic, curated pop-up museum with works by more than 150 artists from 55 countries in various venues including the town's beautiful parks and a staircase in an old bank. The 2007 edition attracted more than 750,000 visitors.
And finally, since the world has gone artisanal and micro-niche crazy, we suggest a stop at the International Juggler and Arts Festival in Koblenz, Germany, in July. How do you get to Koblenz? Practice, baby, practice.
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